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Chapter or Story
Once a Pretender, Always a Pretender
By RaajmdTMP
Part 9
"I told you I could handle it. Here's the tape."
"I'm impressed, Fiona. From what I've heard, Jarod couldn't even top that sting."
"Thanks a lot, Parker," Jarod teased.
"I was just joking."
"Oh, I know. I was just giving you a hard time. Fiona, you did really well."
"Thank you, Jarod."
"Well, I better bring this down to the police. Parker, do you want the car?"
"Yeah, I'm way too tired to walk."
"I told you, you could of stayed in the room. You didn't sleep last night."
"I know you did. I came partly because I never saw a sting before and partly because I didn't want you and Fiona to disappear on me."
"We wouldn't leave you here."
"I wouldn't put it past you. You've done it before, you could have done it again."
"This is about that time in the Keys, isn't it?" Jarod asked jokingly.
"Now, where have I heard that before?"
Jarod laughed and tossed her the car keys. Fiona ran to the car ahead of Parker and waited impatiently for her to reach it. Once Parker put the keys in the ignition Fiona turned on the radio.
"Oh, I love this song! Listen to it, Parker."
"I'm listening, I'm listening."
When dreaming I'm guided through another world
Time and time again
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep
'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place
'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape
From the life I live when I'm awake
So let's go there
Let's make our escape
Come on, let's go there
Let's ask can we stay?
Can you take me higher?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets
Although I would like our world to change
It helps me to appreciate
Those nights and those dreams
But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights
If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same
The only difference is
To let love replace all our hate
So let's go there
Let's make our escape
Come on, let's go there
Let's ask can we stay?
Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time
Up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams
And make them mine
"I like that. What's the band called?"
"Creed."
"Oh," Parker said trying to concentrate on the road. She could still hear one line from the song.
'Let's make our escape.'
It got her thinking, really thinking. About her life at the Centre. About Fiona and Jarod. She began to question why she stayed at the Centre. She knew who killed her mother. There was no real reason to be there anymore. Her "father" had hardly ever told her the truth. Make that never. Maybe she should start to listen to Jarod.
'Trust Jarod.'
"What did you say, Fiona?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Oh, okay."
"Miss Parker, are you all right?"
Parker yawned, "I'm fine. I just need to get some rest. I haven't had a good night sleep in a week."
They pulled up outside the Crow's Nest and got out.
"I didn't get much sleep either. I should rest, too."
When they were settled, they fell asleep fast. Jarod returned shortly after.
"The police were really thankful for…"
He saw that they were asleep, quietly left and went into his room.
"Hey, Jarod! How'd it go?"
"Great. Fiona got him to confess. The police should be there soon."
"It's really over?"
"Yes, but I think we should drive back, just to be safe. It's too risky for any of us to take a plane. Once the Centre finds out about this they'll be suspicious. They will be watching your house round the clock to see if there is any trace of me there. This whole situation seems like something I'd be involved in. Don't be surprised if a group of men in dark suits show up and start asking questions. They can't find out about Fiona. That's why I can't afford to leave any breadcrumbs this time."
"You don't have to anyway. The person you enjoy tormenting most is helping you. That should make your life a little easier."
"For a while, at least. The wisest thing to do for the time being would be to let Fiona stay with us at the inn. Since the Centre doesn't seem to be actively pursuing her she should be safe."
"Are you sure?" Mr. Patten questioned.
"Don't worry Mr. Patten. Miss Parker would never let anything happen to her."
Miss Parker lay tossing and turning in bed. She was having strange dreams.
~*****~
Fiona was in her bed resting. She was waiting for Dr. Wolfman to bring her her next Simulation. There was a noise behind her desk; something like metal clanging. She got up and walked over to it slowly. She bent down and saw two blue eyes staring back at her through the vent. She opened her mouth to scream but didn't because something caught her eye. The red light on the camera in her room had stopped blinking. It faded to black. She turned to the stranger.
"Did you do that?" she asked nervously.
He nodded excitedly, answering her question.
"Who are you?"
"Angelo."
"What do you want?"
Fiona was having trouble understanding why a grown man was crawling through the air ducts.
"To help."
"To help with what, Angelo?"
"Help Fiona find parents."
"You must not know much about me, Angelo. My parents are dead. That's why…"
"Not dead."
"What do you mean they're not dead? Where…"
"Not dead!" he repeated as he crawled away through the vents.
~*****~
Miss Parker woke up with a start.
'That was a strange dream!' she thought.
She tried to shake off the weird feeling the dream had left her with but couldn't. Her inner sense was at it again. This time it was giving her more information than she cared to know. Yet another Centre mystery. This time it was a young girl taken from her family. This girl knew even less about her family than Jarod.
Something strange certainly happened over the past week. She took a vacation to get away from it all. She visited her old school only to run into the very person she was trying to avoid… Jarod. She joined forces with him to find a teacher she had thirty years before and ended up finding another runaway Pretender with a story all her own. They would go back to Blue Cove soon but their lives had changed forever because of the discovery and it's not over yet.
"Are you okay, Miss Parker?" Fiona asked sleepily.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a weird dream."
"Can I ask you something, Parker?"
"What about?"
"My parents. Do you think Jarod can find them?"
Miss Parker looked at her, a little shock visible on her face. It was as if Fiona knew about the dream.
"I don't know, Fiona. I hope so."
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"Everything. You helped me find Mr. Patten. You helped me to realize that I'm not alone. There are others like me."
"Well, you're welcome, but there was no reason to thank me. You deserve to have a normal life, to do what other kids do."
"That's what Dr. Wolfman told me."
There was a soft knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Oh, good, you're up. We have to leave soon."
"Okay, we'll start packing."
"Need any help?"
"I'm fine but Fiona may need help with all those pens."
"So I have a lot of pens. Jarod has a lot of PEZ and no one bothers him."
"That's not to say I haven't in the past. His discoveries can be… interesting subjects to talk about. Besides, I haven't seen Broots in a week and I need someone to pick on."
"Who's Broots?"
"He's one of the people who are in charge of bringing Jarod back to the Centre."
"Has he done as lovely a job as you have, Parker?" Fiona asked sarcastically.
"Fi, I'll get the pens. Mr. Patten wants to talk to you," Jarod said when he realized Parker was uncomfortable because of Fiona's question. Fiona walked out the door twirling a pen in her hand.
"Thanks, Jarod. I never thought it was possible to care for someone so much that you just met. I feel this strange link between us. It sometimes makes me uncomfortable that she seems to know things that there is no way she could find out about," she paused, thinking. "What are the odds that we run into someone like her? Someone like us?"
"I don't know. It's funny how everything leads back to the Centre."
"I'm surprised she has been so open with us."
"She understands us and she knows we understand her. She trusts us. Trust is the most valuable thing you'll ever earn."
"Yeah, especially from someone who's been through what she has. Jarod, I know it's probably a stupid question but, do you trust me?"
"You know, you'd think I wouldn't. I mean, we play this game of cat and mouse for five years but, for some strange reason, I do trust you."
"Why would you? After all I've done…"
"I guess it's something that survived from childhood. Do you still trust me?"
"I trusted you to take me traipsing across the country looking for Mr. Patten," she said, trying to be sarcastic. It wasn't working.
"Who am I kidding? Of course I trust you. The Centre may have tried to erase all we had growing up but they seemed to have failed. How else would you explain why I'm here?"
"Yeah, I'd like to see the look on your father's face if he found out you were vacationing in Gloucester with his favorite lab rat."
They laughed at the thought.
"For all they know I'm relaxing in my room at the lovely Beliveau Inn. No wonder we haven't caught you. You could really disappear. They have no clue where I am or who I'm with."
"Doesn't it feel comforting to know you're not being watched?"
"Oh, let's not start that again. I'll leave when I'm good and ready."
Jarod frowned.
"Come on, you know that when I do leave you'll be part of it."
"I will?"
"Of course. I may be the master of the hunt but I need help from the master if disguise."
Stanton Junior High
Third Floor Hall
Wednesday, November 29, 2000
Fiona was a little late for school. Blame Jarod. For once in his life he slept in. He was more comfortable than usual because he knew Parker wasn't chasing him. When Fi was at her locker her friend, Michelle, came to talk to her.
"Fi, where have you been? You missed the field trip on Monday."
"I had family obligations," Fiona said.
"But you live with Mr. P., don't you?"
"Exactly."
"Hurry up! Get to class!"
Michelle turned around at the familiar voice, "Hey, Mr. Patten, you're back! How're you doing?"
"I'm fine."
"I'm glad you're all right. A lot of us were worried about you."
Miss Parker and Jarod were watching the conversation from down the hall.
"It looks like things are back to normal around here," Jarod said. He never really had someone to talk to about his Pretends.
"That depends on what you consider normal."
"That's very true."
"I wonder what they call Fiona."
"That was random. You wonder what who calls Fiona?"
"The Centre, who else? We're Red Files, what is she?"
"I'll have to get back to you on that."
"Do you really believe you can find her parents?"
"If they're alive, I'll find them."
"They're alive."
"You sound very sure of yourself."
"I am. I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that they're close by."
Continued in 'In a Heartbeat'
By RaajmdTMP
Part 9
"I told you I could handle it. Here's the tape."
"I'm impressed, Fiona. From what I've heard, Jarod couldn't even top that sting."
"Thanks a lot, Parker," Jarod teased.
"I was just joking."
"Oh, I know. I was just giving you a hard time. Fiona, you did really well."
"Thank you, Jarod."
"Well, I better bring this down to the police. Parker, do you want the car?"
"Yeah, I'm way too tired to walk."
"I told you, you could of stayed in the room. You didn't sleep last night."
"I know you did. I came partly because I never saw a sting before and partly because I didn't want you and Fiona to disappear on me."
"We wouldn't leave you here."
"I wouldn't put it past you. You've done it before, you could have done it again."
"This is about that time in the Keys, isn't it?" Jarod asked jokingly.
"Now, where have I heard that before?"
Jarod laughed and tossed her the car keys. Fiona ran to the car ahead of Parker and waited impatiently for her to reach it. Once Parker put the keys in the ignition Fiona turned on the radio.
"Oh, I love this song! Listen to it, Parker."
"I'm listening, I'm listening."
When dreaming I'm guided through another world
Time and time again
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep
'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place
'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape
From the life I live when I'm awake
So let's go there
Let's make our escape
Come on, let's go there
Let's ask can we stay?
Can you take me higher?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets
Although I would like our world to change
It helps me to appreciate
Those nights and those dreams
But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights
If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same
The only difference is
To let love replace all our hate
So let's go there
Let's make our escape
Come on, let's go there
Let's ask can we stay?
Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time
Up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams
And make them mine
"I like that. What's the band called?"
"Creed."
"Oh," Parker said trying to concentrate on the road. She could still hear one line from the song.
'Let's make our escape.'
It got her thinking, really thinking. About her life at the Centre. About Fiona and Jarod. She began to question why she stayed at the Centre. She knew who killed her mother. There was no real reason to be there anymore. Her "father" had hardly ever told her the truth. Make that never. Maybe she should start to listen to Jarod.
'Trust Jarod.'
"What did you say, Fiona?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Oh, okay."
"Miss Parker, are you all right?"
Parker yawned, "I'm fine. I just need to get some rest. I haven't had a good night sleep in a week."
They pulled up outside the Crow's Nest and got out.
"I didn't get much sleep either. I should rest, too."
When they were settled, they fell asleep fast. Jarod returned shortly after.
"The police were really thankful for…"
He saw that they were asleep, quietly left and went into his room.
"Hey, Jarod! How'd it go?"
"Great. Fiona got him to confess. The police should be there soon."
"It's really over?"
"Yes, but I think we should drive back, just to be safe. It's too risky for any of us to take a plane. Once the Centre finds out about this they'll be suspicious. They will be watching your house round the clock to see if there is any trace of me there. This whole situation seems like something I'd be involved in. Don't be surprised if a group of men in dark suits show up and start asking questions. They can't find out about Fiona. That's why I can't afford to leave any breadcrumbs this time."
"You don't have to anyway. The person you enjoy tormenting most is helping you. That should make your life a little easier."
"For a while, at least. The wisest thing to do for the time being would be to let Fiona stay with us at the inn. Since the Centre doesn't seem to be actively pursuing her she should be safe."
"Are you sure?" Mr. Patten questioned.
"Don't worry Mr. Patten. Miss Parker would never let anything happen to her."
Miss Parker lay tossing and turning in bed. She was having strange dreams.
~*****~
Fiona was in her bed resting. She was waiting for Dr. Wolfman to bring her her next Simulation. There was a noise behind her desk; something like metal clanging. She got up and walked over to it slowly. She bent down and saw two blue eyes staring back at her through the vent. She opened her mouth to scream but didn't because something caught her eye. The red light on the camera in her room had stopped blinking. It faded to black. She turned to the stranger.
"Did you do that?" she asked nervously.
He nodded excitedly, answering her question.
"Who are you?"
"Angelo."
"What do you want?"
Fiona was having trouble understanding why a grown man was crawling through the air ducts.
"To help."
"To help with what, Angelo?"
"Help Fiona find parents."
"You must not know much about me, Angelo. My parents are dead. That's why…"
"Not dead."
"What do you mean they're not dead? Where…"
"Not dead!" he repeated as he crawled away through the vents.
~*****~
Miss Parker woke up with a start.
'That was a strange dream!' she thought.
She tried to shake off the weird feeling the dream had left her with but couldn't. Her inner sense was at it again. This time it was giving her more information than she cared to know. Yet another Centre mystery. This time it was a young girl taken from her family. This girl knew even less about her family than Jarod.
Something strange certainly happened over the past week. She took a vacation to get away from it all. She visited her old school only to run into the very person she was trying to avoid… Jarod. She joined forces with him to find a teacher she had thirty years before and ended up finding another runaway Pretender with a story all her own. They would go back to Blue Cove soon but their lives had changed forever because of the discovery and it's not over yet.
"Are you okay, Miss Parker?" Fiona asked sleepily.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a weird dream."
"Can I ask you something, Parker?"
"What about?"
"My parents. Do you think Jarod can find them?"
Miss Parker looked at her, a little shock visible on her face. It was as if Fiona knew about the dream.
"I don't know, Fiona. I hope so."
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"Everything. You helped me find Mr. Patten. You helped me to realize that I'm not alone. There are others like me."
"Well, you're welcome, but there was no reason to thank me. You deserve to have a normal life, to do what other kids do."
"That's what Dr. Wolfman told me."
There was a soft knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Oh, good, you're up. We have to leave soon."
"Okay, we'll start packing."
"Need any help?"
"I'm fine but Fiona may need help with all those pens."
"So I have a lot of pens. Jarod has a lot of PEZ and no one bothers him."
"That's not to say I haven't in the past. His discoveries can be… interesting subjects to talk about. Besides, I haven't seen Broots in a week and I need someone to pick on."
"Who's Broots?"
"He's one of the people who are in charge of bringing Jarod back to the Centre."
"Has he done as lovely a job as you have, Parker?" Fiona asked sarcastically.
"Fi, I'll get the pens. Mr. Patten wants to talk to you," Jarod said when he realized Parker was uncomfortable because of Fiona's question. Fiona walked out the door twirling a pen in her hand.
"Thanks, Jarod. I never thought it was possible to care for someone so much that you just met. I feel this strange link between us. It sometimes makes me uncomfortable that she seems to know things that there is no way she could find out about," she paused, thinking. "What are the odds that we run into someone like her? Someone like us?"
"I don't know. It's funny how everything leads back to the Centre."
"I'm surprised she has been so open with us."
"She understands us and she knows we understand her. She trusts us. Trust is the most valuable thing you'll ever earn."
"Yeah, especially from someone who's been through what she has. Jarod, I know it's probably a stupid question but, do you trust me?"
"You know, you'd think I wouldn't. I mean, we play this game of cat and mouse for five years but, for some strange reason, I do trust you."
"Why would you? After all I've done…"
"I guess it's something that survived from childhood. Do you still trust me?"
"I trusted you to take me traipsing across the country looking for Mr. Patten," she said, trying to be sarcastic. It wasn't working.
"Who am I kidding? Of course I trust you. The Centre may have tried to erase all we had growing up but they seemed to have failed. How else would you explain why I'm here?"
"Yeah, I'd like to see the look on your father's face if he found out you were vacationing in Gloucester with his favorite lab rat."
They laughed at the thought.
"For all they know I'm relaxing in my room at the lovely Beliveau Inn. No wonder we haven't caught you. You could really disappear. They have no clue where I am or who I'm with."
"Doesn't it feel comforting to know you're not being watched?"
"Oh, let's not start that again. I'll leave when I'm good and ready."
Jarod frowned.
"Come on, you know that when I do leave you'll be part of it."
"I will?"
"Of course. I may be the master of the hunt but I need help from the master if disguise."
Stanton Junior High
Third Floor Hall
Wednesday, November 29, 2000
Fiona was a little late for school. Blame Jarod. For once in his life he slept in. He was more comfortable than usual because he knew Parker wasn't chasing him. When Fi was at her locker her friend, Michelle, came to talk to her.
"Fi, where have you been? You missed the field trip on Monday."
"I had family obligations," Fiona said.
"But you live with Mr. P., don't you?"
"Exactly."
"Hurry up! Get to class!"
Michelle turned around at the familiar voice, "Hey, Mr. Patten, you're back! How're you doing?"
"I'm fine."
"I'm glad you're all right. A lot of us were worried about you."
Miss Parker and Jarod were watching the conversation from down the hall.
"It looks like things are back to normal around here," Jarod said. He never really had someone to talk to about his Pretends.
"That depends on what you consider normal."
"That's very true."
"I wonder what they call Fiona."
"That was random. You wonder what who calls Fiona?"
"The Centre, who else? We're Red Files, what is she?"
"I'll have to get back to you on that."
"Do you really believe you can find her parents?"
"If they're alive, I'll find them."
"They're alive."
"You sound very sure of yourself."
"I am. I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that they're close by."
Continued in 'In a Heartbeat'
